Weve tasked Rob Key to come up with four semi-finalists for the Royal London One-Day Cup, ahead of the competitions return on Sunday... The Royal London One-Day Cup is set to be more competitive than ever this year.In the past the competition has often become a little bit of an afterthought due to being played at the back-end of the season.If teams had something to play for still in the County Championship, then they couldnt afford to push too hard in the the cup. But now it has a slot right in the middle of the summer, while the T20 Blast is going on.Holders Gloucestershire will be there or thereabouts, especially if Michael Klinger fires with the bat again. A bit of an unfancied team as always, but never write them off, while Warwickshire, led by Ian Bell - likely available all year - could challenge. But these are the teams Im backing to make the semi-finals…Surrey (South Group) Sam Curran was a surprise star for Surrey in 2015, aged 17 at the time A dangerous side. Another year on from their run to the final last year, theyre going to be even better, with a lot of their players back from injury. They punched above their weight last year, with a bowling attack that was very young and inexperienced - the Curran brothers, Zafar Ansari etc. Obviously Gareth Batty is at the other end of the age spectrum, but he leads them well.The team also plays on a surface that is good for batting. The Oval is a tough place to go, with the likes of Jason Roy and Kumar Sangakkara in Surreys line-up - although Im not sure how much Roy will be around, as youd expect him to be off with England for large parts. Its also tough for the home captain to manage his attack on that pitch, so Batty, with all the experience he has, is a massive bonus for Surrey. He leads by example with how passionate he is on the field, driving those youngsters forward.Worcestershire (North Group) Brett DOliveira has impressed for Worcestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast Theyre smashing it in the Blast. A relatively inexperienced side over the last few years, that is now coming of age. I have been so impressed with them, winning three of three - two of which Ive seen in person with Sky. Theyve been outstanding; good in the field and with bat and ball.Brett DOliveira is a class act, so too Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ross Whiteley, while Moeen Ali might get the odd game when not with England. Theyre well led by Daryl Mitchell and New Road is another tough place to go and play. They have a bowling attack, in Joe Leach and Jack Shantry, who know exactly how to get the best out of the surface, plus a bit of pace provided by Chris Russell. They won only one game in the 2015 competition but theyre a very handy side, and will be a tough proposition for any team.Kent (South Group) Daniel Bell-Drummond has been one of a number of Kent youngster to shine this summer Another young team that is now delivering on its promise. Obviously I know the players pretty well - when I was there we spent three or four years backing the young talent, giving them time to first fail and then learn from it, in the hope theyd become established players. It was pretty clear that the success of these guys might not happen until my Kent career was over, and so its proving. My body could no longer keep up with some of them!Daniel Bell-Drummond - who has been relatively inconsistent the last two or three years - is now churning out runs. Sam Billings is arguably one of the most exciting cricketers in the country and will be around for a bit of the competition, in and out with England. Alex Blake might not be too well-known but he is one of the biggest hitters going. Darren Stevens, meanwhile, is like Peter Pan, he never gets old. They have a very good spinner in James Tredwell, and expert death bowlers in Mitchell Claydon and David Griffiths, plus Matt Coles. They have every base covered and are one of the sides to beat in this competition as well as the Blast.Essex (South Group) Ravi Bopara will captain Essex in the 2016 Royal London One-Day Cup Another team that has had a few up and down years, but theyve started 2016 brilliantly under new coach, Chris Silverwood. Ryan ten Doeschate has skippered them to the top of Division Two in the County Championship, while Ravi Bopara takes over in white-ball cricket. They are two terrific senior players to have in the side - Bopara has a good cricket brain so Im sure he will make a great one-day captain.Its a very settled side, with some outstanding young batsmen - Tom Westley, Nick Brown, Dan Lawrence etc. Theres Jesse Ryder, who always has an impact on the game as their overseas player, and Graham Napier, who bowls well at the death. They are perhaps a little light for bowlers though, especially having lost leading ther wicket-taker in the 2015 tournament, Reece Topley, to Hampshire, plus they seem to be missing a real quality spinner. Essex bat all the way down, however, so it might not matter.Watch the Royal London One-Day Cup on Sky Sports, starting with Somerset versus Gloucestershire from 10.55am on Sunday on Sky Sports 2. Also See: Fixtures/results Live cricket on Sky Get Sky Sports Cricket videos Cheap Football NCAA Jerseys . 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Letestu redirected Jack Johnsons shot from the point with 2:38 left, lifting the Blue Jackets past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. LOS ANGELES -- The Milwaukee Bucks caught the Los Angeles Lakers in one of their worst ruts in decades, and Brandon Knight was able to take full advantage. Knight scored 18 of his career-high 37 points in the third quarter, and the team with the NBAs worst record beat the injury-jinxed Lakers 94-79 on Tuesday night. "My teammates did a great job of running the floor and running the lanes and creating plays for one another, and I think that opened it up for me and a lot of other guys," Knight said. "But it started with our defence. We got after it. Part of that was them missing shots, but I want to give credit to our guys for contesting those shots." The Lakers ended the year the same way they began it -- with six straight losses. They had never ended a calendar year with more than three consecutive defeats in any of the franchises 65 previous seasons. Los Angeles will begin the new year 13-19 -- the teams first losing record since the 2002-03 season, when they also started out 13-19 following their third straight championship. The year was a distinctly sobering one for the Lakers, who mourned the passing of flamboyant owner Jerry Buss, longtime executive Bill Sharman and Vern Mikkelsen, who helped the team win four NBA titles in Minneapolis. They also got swept in the first round of the playoffs and had star-crossed Kobe Bryant in the lineup for only six games so far this season. Adding insult to Bryants injuries was the end of a 320-game home sellout streak last month. "I know an historic franchise like the Los Angeles Lakers will be fine," said Bucks forward Caron Butler, who spent the 2004-05 season with the Lakers. "Not having Jerry Buss at the helm anymore is a significant loss, but Jeanie and Jim and the rest of the Buss family know the business of basketball. They know the legacy of their father, and to restore that would be a wonderful feeling." Pau Gasol and Nick Young scored 25 points each for the Lakers, who shot 35.8 per cent from the field. Young, who led the team in scoring in each of the previous six games as a reserve, made his seventh start of the season. Gasol, who had missed three straight games and four of the previous six because of a sinus infection and bronchitis, returned to a talent-starved Lakers lineup already missing Bryant, Stteve Nash and Steve Blake.dddddddddddd Point guard Jordan Farmar played 21 scoreless minutes in his fourth game since returning from a torn hamstring, and sat out the fourth quarter after the hamstring tightened up. "We are down at the bottom," said coach Mike DAntoni, who used his eighth different starting lineup in as many games and 17th in 32 contests. "The injuries have torn everybody up, but we have to band together and figure it out. I thought Pau played hard, though he was rusty at first. He didnt look good in the first quarter, but then he picked it up." Trailing by 20 points with 9:43 remaining, the Lakers closed to 86-79 with a 26-4 run capped by Kendall Marshalls 3-pointer with 3:21 to play. But the determined Bucks were able to close it out for their second victory in 10 games. The Lakers were coming off narrow losses to Utah and Philadelphia, who entered Tuesday a combined 19-45 and last in their respective divisions when they faced them. DAntonis undermanned squad was even worse against a Milwaukee lineup that came in 6-24. But the Bucks beat them for the fourth time in five meetings, after winning only five of the previous 30. The Lakers missed their first 11 shots while the Bucks opened the game with a 14-0 run. Los Angeles didnt get its first field goal until Gasol hit a 14-footer from the lane with 5:08 left in the first quarter, but Milwaukee extended its margin to 21-4 on Ersan Ilyasovas 19-footer about 2 minutes later. Luke Ridnour made his fourth start of the season for Milwaukee and scored 11 points in 36 minutes. Frontcourt swingman John Henson missed his second straight game because of a high left ankle sprain that occurred on Dec. 20, and is expected to be sidelined for at least two more contests. NOTES: The Bucks, who entered the NBA in 1968-69, are 2-6 on New Years Eve. The only other victory came on the final day of 1969, when they beat the San Diego Rockets 143-126 in regulation with 35 points from future Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ... The Lakers are 8-4 on New Years Eve and 4-2 since moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. ... Lakers reserve G Xavier Henry was sidelined for the first time this season because of a bone bruise and cartilage abnormality in his right knee, and F Wesley Johnson didnt play because of gastroenteritis. ' ' '